Appliance of the drawer type



Jan. 26, 1954 G. H. woTRlNG APPLIANCE F THE DRAWER TYPE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 9, 1952 Inventor-z Gag lor-d H. Wotrmg 9 His AttorneL,

Jan. 26, 1954 G. H. WO1-RING APPLIANCE OF' lTHE DRAWER TYPE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 9, 1952 Inventor: Genjlor'd H. Wtr-ng,

is torneg Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPLIANCE OF THE DRAWER TYPE New York Application May 9, 1952, Serial No. 286,871

1 Claim.

This invention relates to drawer-type appliances, such as under-the-counter dishwashers, clothes-washers, cabinets, and the like. Y Under-the-counter appliances heretofore have been provided with eXtensible-retractable slides of the type such as are used in oice cabinet drawers and the like. These slides, while quite satisfactory as to operation, are rather costly in that they comprise several metallic slides and associated ball bearing rollers engageable with the slides.

This invention has for its principal object the provision of an improved, simpliiied slide arrangement for the appliance, arranged to support it in its retracted position; to support it as it is moved between its retracted and withdrawn positions; to factilitate the movement of the appliance back and forth between its retracted and withdrawn positions; and to reduce the cost of the slide.

Briey stated, in accordance with one aspect of my invention, I eliminate the relatively complicated and expensive extensible retractable slide structures of the rail type heretofore used. I utilize a pair of simple, spaced-apart and iXed supporting rails on which a pair of wheels mounted on an end portion of the appliance rim so as to support that portion of the appliance, and to provide for the movement of the appliance as a whole to its withdrawn and retracted positions. The appliance is balanced about the wheels by a cable arrangement operating over suitably arranged and positioned pulleys, and interconnecting the appliance and its cabinet or counter structure so as to support the appliance in a horizontal position throughout its range of movement into and out of the cabinet. Also in certain embodiments of this invention, means are provided in the organization providing for lateral stability. In one embodiment of the invention, the cable structure is arranged to accomplish this function. In another, this function is accomplished by interconnected gear Wheels on the appliance coacting with stationary racks.

My invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claim In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an appliance of the drawer type embodying this invention showing the appliance in its withdrawn position, and having parts broken away and parts shown in section to illustrate certain details of construction; Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating the appliance in its withdrawn position; Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the appliance with its cabinet substantially removed;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of an appliance and associated slide mechanism therefor arranged in accordance with a modified form of this invention; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating still another form of this invention, and showing the appliance in its retracted position; and Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating the appliance in its withdrawn position.

Referring to the drawings, this invention has been shown as applied to an appliance such as an under-the-counter dishwasher of the type described and claimed in the copending application of Jacob W. McNairy, Serial No. 228,465, led March 26, 1951, and assigned to the General Electric Company, the assignee of the instant application. The dishwasher I is mounted under a horizontal table-like Work surface such as a counter 2, which is the top wall or surface of a suitable cabinet. The cabinet rests on a base formed by horizontal channels 3, and at the top the cabinet is provided with horizontal frame channels 4; channels 3 and 4 are suitably interconnected by Vertical frame members (not shown) to form a box-like framework. It will be understood that the cabinet will be closed at the sides and rear with suitable panels (not shown) attached to the frame channels. At the front, however, is a panel 5 having an opening S therein which constitutes the front opening oi the cabinet and through which the dishwasher I may be withdrawn. The front panel 5, together with the base, is arranged to provide a toe space 'l yat the bottom; and over the toe space is a transverse frame channel 8. The specific details of construction of the cabinet do not constitute a part of this invention and it is believed, therefore, to be unnecessary to describe the cabinet in greater detail.

The dishwasher I comprises a tub 9 substantially square in horizontal cross section, formed of Walls which are open at the top to define a top opening which lies in a plane substantially parallel with the top counter surface, and to which access is had to the tub for the insertion and removal of dishes and utensiles to be cleaned. The tub is supported by suitable means in accordance with this invention so that it may be withdrawn from the cabinet like a drawer from the position of Fig. l to the position of Fig. 2, so that the dishes and utensils may be loaded into the tub for the Washing operation which is effected when the tub is moved back to its Withdrawn or retracted position shown in Fig. 1. When the tub is in its retracted position, it is closed by means of a suitable closure member I0 operated by a handle II accessible at the front of the cabinet in the manner described and claimed in the aforementioned McNairy application. The front of the tub carries a front panel I2 which closes the front opening 6 of the cabinet when the tub is pushed back into it. It will be understood that the tub will-carry within it suitable trays (not shown) for supporting the utensils to be cleaned, and with a suitable impeller (also not shown) for circulating water over and about the dishes to wash them; the impeller is provided with an exterior driving motor I3 located below the tub and carried by it.

The means for mounting the dishwashing machine I for sliding movement between its retracted position of Fig. l to its-extended position of Fig. 2 and for movement back to its position of Fig. 1, in accordance with this invention, comprises a pair of fixed rails I located in the bottom of the cabinet on the base frame channels I .3 so as to be supported by them, and at the sides of the cabinet and directed in parallel relation with respect to each other and the direction of movement of the machine I into and out of the cabinet. Mounted on the lower rear side portions of the machine I are a pair f wheels or .rollers I5 which coact with the two rails I4, so as to support the machine I for sliding movement on thev rails; the rails are provided with upright guiding flanges Ita (Fig. 3) for the wheels. Preferably .and as shown, the rollers I5 will be mounted on rearwardly extending sections IB on the machine I so that when the machine is moved into the forward part of the cabinet for withdrawal, it will be substantially completely removed from the cabinet, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and preferably the two wheels or lrollers .i5 will be mounted upon a common transverse .shaft lI 'I journalled in the extensions I6, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Coacting with the rollers I5 to support the appliance I are a pair of non-extensible cables I8 at .the opposite side portions of the appliance; these cables may be made of any suitable material such as a flexible steel, and they may .be of any suitable form as a tape, or as a rope cable as shown in Figs 1 to 3. The upper end .of each Vcable I8 is anchored to a pin le fixed to the upper frame member d at the rear of the cabinet. .over a pulley 2t journalled to the tub S at the upper rear side wall thereof. The two pulleys for the two cables preferably will be mounted .upon and xed to a common transverse shaft 2l which will be journalled in a pair of ears 2l .f

fastened to the upper rear wall portion of the tub 9. From these pulleys 2D, the two cables I8 are directed downwardly at the rear of the tub 9 to pass over pulleys 22 mounted upon the transverse shaft Il. 1The pulleys 22 are not fastened .to the shaft Il to rotate it, but are freely rotatable thereon with respect to it. From the .pulleys 2.2, the cables are directed forwardly under the appliance I to the forward part thereof, Where the other ends of the cables are anchored to the transverse frame member by means of yL-shaped bolts 23, one leg of which is directed through an eye 2Q attached to each of these other ends of the cables, as shown. The other legs of the L- shaped bolts 23 are mounted in upright ears 215 provided on the frame 8, and the bolts are se.- cured by means of a pair of `nuts 26, which function not only to secure the bolts butralso toadjust the tensions in the twocables I8.

It will be observed that by reason. ofthe cables.

From this anchor, each cable is directed i operating on the pulleys 20 and 22 and having their ends anchored as described, they interconnect the appliance and cabinet so as to function to support the appliance I about the rollers I5 as a fulcrum. That is, the two cables function to support the appliance I in an upright position `within the cabinet, and Vthey also `function to support the appliance within this position as it is moved from its retracted to its Wthdrawn position, and vice versa. More specifically, the two` pulleys div-idethe non-extensible cables into three portions Isa, |81), and I8c. When the appliance I is 'withdrawn` from the cabinet, the portion 18o increases-in length as the portion I 8c correspondingly decreases in length, the portion lb Vof .course` retaining a. substantially constant length throughout. In this way, as the appliance -I is moved between its retracted and Withdrawn positions, it is .constantly maintained in a vertical position throughout. Conversely, when it; is moved .back into the cabinet, the length. |1811 decreases as the length IBc correspondingly increases, and here again the appliance I is maintained in its vertical position throughout.

Some degree of lateral stability may be. obtained by keying the top and bottom pulleys to ro.- tate with their respective common shafts.

In order to insure absolute lateralstability, the cables may be arranged as shown in the .form of this invention illustrated in Fig. 4, where all of the .elements have substantiallyv identically .the same construction as the corresponding elemetlts shown in Figs. l to 3, .except that the cables; at the rear are reversed. As here shown, the-two cables 2? have their lengthsI or Vportions v21a and 21e arranged as are the corresponding portions 128.@ and itc of the cables I8, but here the vertical p01'.- tions 2lb instead of being arranged vertically `at the same side of the appliance as are their parts 21a and 27e, are crossed yoverat the rear., so .that the left-hand cable at the bottom becomes -the right-hand cable .at the top, and so that the right-hand cable at the bottom becomes the vlefthand cable at the top. This arrangement provides for absolute lateral stability of the appliance I as it is moved in and out of its cabinet.

In another form of this invention illustrated in Figs. .5 and 6, the lpositions of the anchors ,and of the pulleys are reversed in the sense that the anchors are xed to the appliance, whereas the pulleys are fixed to the cabinet. rlhus, in this form of the invention, a cable 28 is provided :at each side of the appliance I, but. it has its upper and lower ends anchored respectively to the upper and lower portions of the tub 9; thus, the upper end of the cable is attached to an adjust.- able anchor 29 provided on the upper side `wall of the tub adjacent its rear end, whereas the -other end of the cable is provided with a fixed anchor 3D attached ,to the lower rear corner o f Vthe tub. Each cable 28 is directed from the upper anchor 29 to a .pulley SI rotatably mounted on the cabinet at its upper rear end, thence. is directed forwardly to pass over a pulley :3,2 xed to the lower forward corner of the cabinet, and from this pulley is Vdirected backwardly to its anchor .38. Here the cables function precisely in the same fashion as do the cables .-II` of the rst form of the invention described, i. e., as the appliance I is moved from its retracted to vits withdrawn positions, the portions 28a of the cables increase in length as the portions 28e of the cables correspondingly decrease in length, the portions 28h throughout remaining su-bstantially constant in length. And vhere again, vthe two cables support the appliance I in its vertical position throughout its movement in and out of the cabinet. They do not, however, eiectively stabilize the appliance laterally as do the tWo cables 21 of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4. This may be accomplished in the form of the invention shown in Figs, 5 and 6 by means of a pair of gear wheels 33 fixed to the pulleys 3i and meshing loosely with a toothed track 34 at each side of the appliance. In other Words, the members 3l may be a combination roller and gear Wheel riding on and meshing with a track 32, or these two elements may be separate in the sense that the roller may operate on a smooth rail and the gear member operate in a separate rack.

While I have disclosed particular embodiments of my invention, it will be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited thereto, since many modications may be made, and I, therefore, contemplate by the appen-ded claim to cover any such modiications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In an appliance structure having Walls dening a iixed cabinet having a front opening therein and an appliance in said cabinet, slide means for said appliance comprising a pair of spaced apart rails in the lower portion of said cabinet 6 lying in a direction normal to said front opening, a pair of Wheels on the sides of and toward the rear of said appliance rolling on said rails respectively to movably support said appliance at the rear, a pair of fixed anchors at the upper rear of said cabinet spaced apart transversely thereof and a pair of xed anchors at the lower front oi said cabinet spaced apart transversely thereof, two pairs of transversely spaced pulleys on said appliance at the upper and lower rear portions thereof respectively, a pair of non-extensible cables, each anchored at one end to the anchor means on one side of said cabinet at the lower front thereof and directed back therefrom to pass over the pulley at the lower portion of the appliance at that side and thence directed upwardly and laterally of said appliance to pass over the pulley at the upper rear thereof on the other side of the appliance and from which it is directed to said anchor at said other side at the top of said cabinet and means for attaching it to said anchor, thereby to provide lateral stability of said appliance.

GAYLORD H. WOTRING.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

